San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy, whom Pope Francis elevated to the rank of cardinal in 2022, has argued that while abortion is a great evil, “the long-term death toll from unchecked climate change is larger and threatens the very future of humanity.”
Pope Francis has singled out the United States as particularly responsible for the climate “emergency” because of the “irresponsible lifestyle” of its citizens.
“If we consider that emissions per individual in the United States are about two times greater than those of individuals living in China, and about seven times greater than the average of the poorest countries, we can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact,” the pope said last October.
The alert folks at The Pillar Catholic, an online Catholic news outlet, pointed out at the time that in fact “U.S. per capita emissions are less than 1.5 times that of China,” adding that China’s per capita emissions levels “are significantly higher than the global average.”
The pope also failed to mention that in aggregate, China’s emissions are more than double those of the United States, and America’s air is among the cleanest of any nation, while China’s air quality is among the poorest.
In his introduction to the Vatican summit, which will be held May 15-17, Francis states that climate change is
“no longer a secondary or ideological question,
but a drama that harms us all,”
adding that climate change manifests “a tragic and striking example of structural sin.”
Breitbart